Some restaurants have spirits other than the potable ones they serve. Jimmy's Steak & Seafood Grill at 217 South Street, Morristown, New Jersey, is one of them.
Ghostly Seeds Sown in Jimmy's Restaurant
The structure was built as a private home in 1749 by John Sayre. In 1833, Samuel Sayre lived there with his wife, Elizabeth, and servant girl, Phoebe. Antoine Le Blanc, an immigrant sailor from the West Indies, was hired to help around the farm and house. He misunderstood the employment opportunity and thought he would manage a large operation. He spoke very little English and, out of frustration, decided to make off with money he thought the Sayres had hidden in their home. He murdered the Sayres by bludgeoning them with a shovel. He killed Phoebe with an ax. He escaped to Newark, where a posse caught him and brought him to Morristown for trial. He was convicted and hanged on the Green in Morristown. Le Blanc's skin was stripped and made into wallets and purses to cover the expenses of the trial and celebration afterwards. In 1946 the Sayre House was converted into a restaurant. There was a devastating fire in 1957. After the fire, reconstruction included additions and expansion to the building while saving a tree growing through the atrium dining area. In the 1970s, the Wedgewood Inn was owned by William McCausland. David DeGraff bought the restaurant and named it the Society Hill Restaurant. Now, it’s Jimmy’s restaurant.
Jimmy's Restaurant's Paranormal Phenomena
- What had been Phoebe’s bedroom is colder than the other rooms. Sometimes, waitresses working in that room saw Phoebe's reflection in the mirror instead of their own. They have reported feeling gelid hands on their shoulders. One saw a bloody hand reach out from one of the paintings.
- Objects move of their own accord. After closing for the night, which involves extinguishing candles on the tables, the staff has often looked through a window to see one or two candles lit again.
- Mr. McCausland’s keys disappeared from his desk. He searched, but couldn’t find them. When he returned to his office, he had his back to his desk and heard the keys drop. He turned around and there they were where he had left them.
- On the night of the Society Hill’s grand opening, a punch bowl was being filled for the event. Suddenly, it cracked and split apart, spilling the punch.
- An orb was caught on 35mm film on the ceiling by the chandelier. One waiter claimed that he was spun around by an unseen force. Chairs rock by themselves. Lights go off and on.
Over the years, psychics and a priest have been brought in to perform releasements or exorcisms of whom they believe are the tormented spirits of Le Blanc and Phoebe; however, cooks and wait staff at Jimmy's continue to describe eerie happenings.
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Source:
The Ghostly Register, Arthur Meyers, (Contemporary Books, Inc., 1986)
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